Proisir again Rich Hill Stud's headline act at NZ$70,000 in 2025

Cover image courtesy of Rich Hill Stud

Rich Hill Stud's quality lineup of stallions has been flying the flag high across Australasia, and another outstanding 12 months of racetrack and sales success have just been completed.

Rich Hill Managing Director John Thompson has given breeders an opportunity under the current economic climate as all fees have been reduced, apart from Ace High, who holds firm at NZ$15,000 plus GST.

In addition to Ace High, Champion Sire Proisir will stand at NZ$70,000 plus GST, Satono Aladdin (Jpn) at NZ$45,000 plus GST, and Shocking at NZ$10,000 plus GST. The latter three's fees have reduced from $NZ80,000 plus GST, NZ$65,000 plus GST, and NZ$12,500 plus GST in 2024.

“Breeders who have supported Rich Hill stallions over recent seasons have reaped substantial rewards,” Thompson said.

“Our 2025 service fees directly reflect this ongoing success, but we have made some adjustments in line with current market challenges.

“This ensures the industry continues to benefit from the exceptional value they offer.”

Proisir’s rise rolls on

Proisir’s progeny have continued to shine on racetracks across Australasia, with 19 individual stakes performers already recorded this season.

Among his 10 individual Australasian stakes winners this season are multiple Group winner Waitak (NZ), the brilliant mare Legarto (NZ), and exciting 3-year-olds Vegas Queen (NZ) and Sergeant Major (NZ).

Proisir currently sits second by earnings on the New Zealand Sires’ Premiership, and leads the way in individual stakes winners (seven), winners (41), and total wins (56)—a testament to his dominance and consistency.

His 2025 yearlings were again in hot demand, providing breeders with outstanding returns. At the 2025 New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale, Proisir sired three of the top five-priced yearlings, including the standout Donna Marie (NZ) (Don Eduardo {NZ}) filly, who fetched NZ$1.1 million. In total, his 41 lots at the 2025 New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Yearling Sale Book 1 yearlings averaged NZ$233,171.

“Going forward, we can all be very excited about Proisir’s future results,” Thompson said.

“At this stage he has 10 individual stakes winners in a season across Australasia, and for any stallion that is a big effort, he’s in the top echelon.

“He’s had a million dollar yearling and his Book 1 average was around $230,000.

“You would like to think, if you support him this year, who knows where he will be.

“He is proven in Australia and that is very important, he had Legarto and Prowess win two time-honoured Group 1s and that really opened up people's eyes to what this horse is capable of.

“We eagerly anticipate his upcoming 2-year-olds, which are the first progeny to race from the higher quality mare books bred over the last three seasons.”

Satono Aladdin well patronised, as his momentum continues to build

Deep Impact’s (Jpn) outstanding son Satono Aladdin (Jpn) will return to New Zealand for the 2025 breeding season, and despite not yet having a current crop of Southern Hemisphere 3-year-olds on the track, he has firmly held his status as one of the country’s most exciting young sires.

His Australasian progeny statistics are world-class. From limited early opportunities, Satono Aladdin boasts an elite 12.2 per cent stakes winners to runners ratio—an exceptional return that places him among the very best.

His 2020–21 crop of 43 foals has already produced six individual Group winners—a remarkable 14 per cent Group winners to foals ratio—with standout names including Firestorm (NZ), Raf Attack (NZ), Lupo Solitario (NZ), and Tokyo Tycoon (NZ).

“A lot of stallions lose momentum when they miss a crop, but he’s very much still in everyone’s calculations and commercially they have sold very well, and the lovely filly of Trelawney’s made $725,000 at Easter,” said Thompson.

“(There have been) massive returns for people from what those horses were conceived at. Breeders that support him this year are really going to benefit from a lot of the hard work we have already done with the horse over the last few years.”

Satono Aladdin’s appeal has extended beyond the racetrack. At the 2025 New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale, his 29 yearlings averaged NZ$170,690, with prices climbing as high as NZ$525,000.

“Satono Aladdin’s progeny display incredible versatility and class. With his larger foal crops now emerging, his future impact on Australasian racing and breeding looks set to ascend to new heights over the next few seasons,” Thompson summarised.

All eyes on the exciting Ace High

Ace High made an immediate impact at stud, producing G1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas winner Molly Bloom (NZ) from his very first crop.

The momentum has continued further this season, with My Lips Are Sealed (NZ) claiming Group success, and a wave of emerging talents—She’s A Hustler (NZ), O’Ziggy (NZ), Texas Dolly (NZ), Bullets High (NZ), and Angland (NZ)—all progressing nicely through the grades.

His second crop of 3-year-olds has also begun to make its mark, headlined by stakes performers Kitty Flash (NZ) and Dealt With (NZ), along with promising types such as She’s A Dealer (NZ), Croupier (NZ), Canny Queen (NZ), and Katashi (NZ).

“Ace High continues to attract strong breeder support, achieving his largest book yet in 2024,” Thompson said.

“He is in a really strong position. It’s exciting as there are a lot of promising Ace Highs around. We saw a couple of nice ones at Ellerslie on the weekend—Andrew Campbell’s horse looks very good, and he has his sights set on Queensland.

“There’s other horses coming through the grades that are very exciting. He has a few at Te Rapa, and we have a filly named She’s A Dealer who we think is pretty good.

“He has had good breeder support the whole way through and he looks to be building towards a really solid position in a couple of years.”

Ace High also performed strongly in the sale ring, with his 2025 Karaka Yearling Sale draft averaging $122,000. With his outstanding pedigree as a son of High Chaparral (Ire) and a profile that suggests his progeny will thrive over distance and with maturity, Ace High is clearly a sire on the rise.

Shocking proves he can leave a real good one

Proven Group 1 producer Shocking continues to deliver, enjoying another outstanding season.

In a spectacular display of sire power, Shocking pulled off a remarkable Group 1 double at Te Rapa in February—one of the biggest days on the New Zealand racing calendar. His son El Vencedor (NZ) stormed home to win the G1 Herbie Dyke Stakes, while Here To Shock (NZ) was equally impressive taking out the G1 Waikato Sprint.

Shocking also narrowly missed a rare Derby double this season, with Scary (NZ) finishing a gutsy second in the G1 VRC Derby, and Packing Angel (NZ) running a close third in the prestigious G1 Hong Kong Derby.

Gallery: Group 1-winning horses sired by Shocking, images courtesy of Kenton Wright (Race Images)

Beyond his success as a sire, Shocking’s influence continues to grow in the broodmare ranks—highlighted recently through Repo Bay (NZ), the dam of Proisir’s Group 1 winner Waitak (NZ).

“Shocking’s racetrack progeny consistently deliver outstanding results, and he offers breeders access to a proven Group One sire at remarkable value,” Thompson said.

“He's an old trooper—people are probably surprised we aren’t putting him up. He's still very fertile, and that fee puts him in a great spot in the market.

“Some breeders out there don't like spending more than $10,000 on a service fee, and he's a great option at that price.”

Whether it’s top-tier Group 1 winners or versatile, durable performers, Shocking continues to prove why he’s a stalwart of the New Zealand stallion ranks.

Thompson went on to comment; "No doubt we will have to be looking to get a new stallion at some stage, but at the moment we are in a fortunate position where we have four stallions and they are all proven and they have all had recent Group 1 winners; it's quite an unusual position to be in.”

Table: 2025 service fees for Rich Hill Stud's stallion roster (fees excluding GST)